Blood Moon
by Quill892
Summary: The cats of Waveclan have been led by caring and strong leaders for years, but when Willowspririt, the hero of Waveclan, becomes Willowstar, cats die and allegiances change. Can their isolated clan survive? And can the blind finally see the truth that is right beneath their whiskers? But who will listen to the grieving medicine cat?
1. Prologue

**Okay! I got some reviews that said that I couldn't have ****_just_**** an allegiances chapter because it didn't have any real 'content' in it. Thank you for that! (I don't want to get into any trouble!) So this is the combined Allegiances and the prologue. **

WAVECLAN:

Willowstar- A blue-gray she-cat with large brown eyes.

Redblaze- A muscled, heavyset tom with dull red fur the color of a cloudy sunset.

Rosepetal- A lean, orange tabby with large milky-green eyes.

WARRIORS:

Beetlecry- A small, black tom with orange eyes and white-tipped ears.

Hareleap- A tan-orange tom with brown eyes.

Briarclaw- A dark brown and orange tom with dark brown eyes.

Feathertail- A light gray-white she-cat with a fluffy tail.

Stormypelt- A dark gray tom with sharp blue eyes and large white paws.

Patchcloud-white, orange and brown she-cat with brown eyes.

QUEENS:

Riversong- A blue-gray she-cat with large brown eyes and one white streak across her belly.

APPRENTICES:

Flickerpaw- A brown tom with white paws.

Owlpaw- A brown she-cat with a white underbelly.

KITS:

Thunderkit- A she-kit with a black pelt and blue eyes.

Elders:

Dawnwind- A pink-red tabby with an already white muzzle and paws from her youth, but has graying ears.

STRAYS:

Tooth- A light gray tom with jagged scars and sharp teeth.

Slash- A brown she-cat with dark green eyes.

Riptide- A mottled blue-gray tom with black and white speckles.

Brooklyn- A furless she-cat with brown eyes.

_The large black tom lay in a bed of soft moss, tossing and turning in pain. Long, jagged scars and open wounds portrayed his dire need for medical attention, but Riversong was not allowed to treat him. Yet._

_Willowstar glared at her daughter's mate, laying so weak and helpless. She _hated _it when other cats begged. Like Riversong was doing now._

"_Please, Willowstar! Let me treat him! I can save his life, I know what to do!" The she-cat was a mirror image of her mother, but there were two main differences. Willowstar had dark, cold eyes that usually contained some kind of warmth. Riversong had hopeless, dying eyes that still reflected her mate's probable doom. Beyond that, the only difference you could count on was Riversong's tiny white stripe, more like a nick, on her flank. Also, Riversong had the swinging belly of a soon-to-be mother._

"_No! He is a traitor to the clan and deserves to die!" She spat. "Are you going to help him, he tried to kill me!"_

"_Please, he won't do it again! Just let me heal him!" Riversong sobbed. The tom whined, and a pool of blood formed steadily from beneath his fur. Willowstar flicked her ears, deep in thought. She lowered her face to his and stared deep into his eyes. A whisper filled his ears and the tom hissed, barely able to keep his head level with hers._

"_You can treat him." Willowstar finally said, and she moved over to the herb storage, looking for something. Her daughter ran to her mate's side and buried her head in his fur._

"_Thank you! Thank you so much, thank you!" She gushed. "Oh Nightclaw, it's going to be alright. I'm going to help you."_

_Her mother returned with a small mouse skin of herbs. Her eyes quickly scanned the area back and forth, looking for any eavesdroppers._

"_With these." She dropped the mouse skin and five red berries rolled out. Riversong gasped and stepped back from the highly poisonous plant._

"_But Willowstar! Those are-"_

"_Bloodberries, I know. Treat him, Riversong." She snarled. The leader slowly lowered herself down so that she was laying eye-to-eye with Nightclaw, who stared back._

"_But- But-" Riversong stuttered, but she was already rolling one of the deadly Bloodberries towards the patient. Heart thumping, she tipped it towards his mouth. He glanced at her questioningly. "It's okay, Nightclaw. Eat it."_

_Her purr broke and she watched as Nightclaw ate the berry, totally trusting her. One, Two, Three seconds passed. A shiver ran up Riversong's body as she watched the life fade from his sky-blue eyes. The large tom twitched once and suddenly deflated. His flank stopped moving. The medicine cat couldn't take her eyes off the poor, innocent victim. She had killed a cat. Her mate._

_Willowstar stood up and gave her daughter a quick lick. "Don't worry, my daughter. You did all you could to save him. I will tell the clan that we have lost a weak, uselessly-rebelling warrior. No one will blame you, he won't be missed."_

_Riversong nodded, but she wasn't listening. Her body collapsed beside Nightclaw's and she yowled into his fur. He was gone. Dead. She had killed the only one who had loved her. Besides her mother… her mother..._

_Sharp pains cut off Riversong's line of thought. The kits rolled unhappily inside of her. She peered over her shoulder and saw her mother darting off into the shadows, blue-gray ur stuck beneath her claws. Long, red stripes ran down her body and she cried out. Her legs flailing, she kicked the mouse skin of berries far into the bushes. Everything started to fade as the pain overcame her._

_Rosepetal walked into the medicine den, carrying the long shoots of some type of herb. The shoots fell to the sandy floor. "Help! Nightclaw attacked Riversong! Help!" Racing to Riversong, she was able to make out a few words._

_"I killed him."_

**Thank you for not getting mad at me- all the people who commented on my mistake were really nice about it! Please review- This story has over 100 views but only four reviews!**


	2. Chapter One: Thunderkit

**Okay, here is Thunderkit! I am seriously in love with her character! Go Thunderkit!**

Thunderkit wasn't sure what was worse- losing her name or not having anyone to play with. The storm outside crackled, and she decided that not having anyone to play with was the worst thing that a kit could go through.

She wasn't supposed to be alone. She had been born with two other littermates, a tom, and a she-kit just like her. She had never seen them. Once, Thunderkit had overheard Riversong talking to herself about throwing kits into the Forever-Water. Thunderkit had never been to the Forever-Water before, but she still had nightmares about standing on the shore of some type of endless puddle with thousands of kittens being tossed around like moss balls. Riversong always appeared and would grab her by her scruff.

She would wake up panting and had to get some herbs from Rosepetal to be able to breathe normally. It was the same feeling she would get after running or swimming. Her entire chest would tighten suddenly and she would gasp for breath until some herbs would be placed by her nose and overtime she would be fine.

Thunderkit peaked her head out of the small hollow log and darted back in. Overhead, clouds swirled and the wind was roaring. Rain fell like rocks and hit the forest floor with small pops. One such raindrop rolled into the log. Thunderkit pushed it and felt that it was solid. It was a rock. But this rock was white and cold. As suddenly as it had been there, it turned to a puddle in the afternoon heat. The air around her turned static and her fur raised.

Lightning struck a tree nearby. Her entire body was shaking, quivering like the scared kit she was. She supposed that storms were supposed to be her thing, being named Thunderkit and all, but that wasn't her real name.

Well, everyone called her that except her mother, Riversong. Even her grandma, Willowstar, didn't know about her secret name, which she was never supposed to tell anyone because it was a secret. Well, that was what Riversong had told her to do. And if anyone ever asked, she was supposed to say that Thunderkit was her only name.

Her secret name was Nightkit. She loved the name Nightkit. It sounded so nice and rolled off of her tongue easier that Thunderkit. She liked to say it slowly at night, rolling out the 't' sounds. Her father had been named Nightkit when he was her age. She wasn't sure if she like that though, being named after her traitor father.

Everyone believed she had a terrible father who should never be spoken of unless to criticize his choices. She didn't believe that a cat with such an awesome name could do that, but her mother never spoke of him. He was never acknowledged to even have been alive. She didn't even know what he had done.

Maybe he had stolen prey when it wasn't his turn to eat? Or had he gone against the routine? Hunted after dark? Left camp when he should have been picking the fleas off of Willowstar?

Sometimes, Thunderkit could switch between her two names. Thunderkit was weak. She was always going to be a second class because of her father. People stopped talking when she entered the area. No one shared prey with her or talked with her while they ate. She was the only proof that Nightclaw had ever lived and breathed in Waveclan. And that wasn't a good thing.

But when she was Nightkit she was brave. She didn't care what the other cats said about her father- she was going to prove herself to be a rule-abiding cat and maybe one day become the leader of all the island. Nightstar! She was the only proof that Nightclaw had ever lived and breathed in Waveclan. And she was not ashamed.

Another pelt of Ice-Drops fell against the log. The roof split slightly and she pressed herself against the farthest wall of the log. Where was Nightkit now? She had slipped away in Thunderkit's time of need.

"Thunderkit?" A voice yelled over the wailing storm.

"Rosepetal! I am over here in the nursery!" She yowled back. The reddish she-cat tumbled into the den, her fur battered and shaken into disarray. It was strange to see her look so disorganized. She was always looking at her best, always groomed and sleek.

"Thank Starclan, you're still alive." Rosepetal touches noses with her briefly and jumped into a long speech before Thunderkit could ask what she meant by 'still alive'. "A fire has caught above us. We need to abandon camp- but we couldn't find you. Some cats were ready to move on, but I had to go back."

"Oh." Was all she could make out. As if the storm could hear Rosepetal, a blast of heat went through the log. Sharp red tones leaked from outside the cracks in the outer bark. With one glance out of the log, Rosepetal swept up Thunderkit and carried her out of the burning fury. Suddenly, Thunderkit had never felt so scared- even for the weak and sick kit she was. Large pillars of white-heat rose like giants around her, and the once black sky seemed almost green. Small hot embers scattered like the popping plant they were used for amusement in the old elder's tales that Dawnwind used to tell her.

She turned on the memory to avoid the searing pain of everything happening around her.]

"_Hello, Thunderkit." Dawnwind looked up from her soft moss bed. She had a beautiful snow-white muzzle and paws, her ears whitening also. Otherwise, she was a reddish-pink color with long stripes around her entire body._

"_Dawnwind!" Thunderkit cried out with joy. "Riversong had to go out to find some far, far, far, far, far, _far, _away herbs and she told me," Thunderkit took in another breath and continued in a mock Riversong voice, "'Go away Thunderkit I need to concentrate and this really isn't your business so why don't you go see to Dawnwind because Rosepetal is going to be medicine cat if I can't prove that I can take care of you and my duties and you aren't helping right now, Thunderkit!'"_

"_Oh, well then." Dawnwind chuckled happily. She settled and rolled around in her nest before starting her story. "It was many moons ago. My brother-"_

"_May Starclan protect him." Thunderkit chorused right on time._

"_Had found this strange plant growing on the Invaders land. It was like grass, but when one would peel back the leaves, a curious sun-colored plant was there. It had no medicinal properties and was not good to eat. We wondered and wondered over what it could be for. One day, our deputy-"_

"_May Starclan protect her."_

"_Was caught by the kit of an Invader. She was held captive for many nights and days before she could escape from these terrible Invaders. When she returned, she brought some knowledge on the Sun-Plant, as we had begun to call it._

"_When placed over an Invader's fire, this plant would explode into a multitude of some pieces of some type of Invader treat. She explained how it was quite a festival, a time of happiness and dancing. Of course, she attempted to show us how to dance and do their weird customers, but we never understood. Sadly, she was so captivated by this new way of life that she eventually left the clan behind in the name of these Invaders. Not long after, they disappeared on large floating logs and were never seen again. They left behind a collection of fires in their haste, which we decided to see the exploding corn for ourselves." Dawnwind laughed like they were the silliest cats in the world back then, but Thunderkit was bowled over at the strange ways of the old cats. And what were the Invaders?_

"_And we did! The popping plant, as it was now dubbed, popped and popped! We must have looked like crazy shadows in the middle of the night, yowling and howling and hopping around." She shook her head and yawned. "But it is my time to nap, so go on and hang out with your Grandmother."_

_Thunderkit hopped up and raced towards Willowstar's den. She was so excited to have an excuse to bother her. She just loved studying every move the Willowstar made. One day, she hoped that she was just as great at leading Waveclan._

_Her claws skidding, she flew through the vine-door and entered the… empty room. "Hello? Willowstar?" _

_Redblaze appeared from deep inside the den, his fur ruffled and dripping wet with something the same color as his fur. He nudged Thunderkit out of the den with a sharp blow with his sheathed paw. She squealed and raced out of the den, her heart wildly pumping. _

_But she was Nightkit now, and she wasn't having any trouble breathing. But later, long after Riversong had returned and tucked her into bed, Thunderkit came back at the sound of a long, mournful howl that rose between the still night breeze._

"_NO! Fawnshade is dead!" _

**Well, here is Chapter One of Blood Moon! Again, poor cats in this book, already two cats have died! I promise that every chapter will NOT have a death in them, so I am not completely a morbid writer. I am trying to make Thunderkit's character and backstory right now, but she needs to grow too! Cross your fingers that I can pull this off! Review, please!**


	3. Chapter Two: Rosepetal

**I'm back! In case you were wondering, this gives you some more stuff on the whole medicine cat thingy. I got all the herbs from Warriors Wiki, which is pretty much where I will get all my herb names. Poor Thunderkit! **

**I still don't own Warriors! :(**

The walls of fire went on endlessly. Thunderkit had been squealing ever since she saw the fire, but for the last few moments, she had gone limp and quiet. Rosepetal wasn't sure whether or not this was a good sign. Could you die from breathing in too much smoke? Riversong would know, but she wasn't supposed to treat any cats anymore, not after Willowstar's big announcement.

But she shouldn't dwell on the past. The sun never rose behind a cat, as her mother Dawnwind would remind her. She knew that the sun always rose and that it always went up over the ocean, but she wasn't meaning it literally. If a cat never turned to look at the sunrise they would never see the sunrise, and they wouldn't be able to enjoy the moment of peaceful clarity.

She could see a break in the flames and took the chance before it was gone. For a second, she felt like the wind. Like the soaring clouds far above the rest of the world. And then she was back, claws deep into the ground. The fire had thankfully been stopped by the shoreline of the Forever-Water, and the rest of Waveclan huddled between the red and the blue. It was a strange sight that none of the Waveclan cats liked. Rosepetal herself understood- living between to enemies was the opposite of life here on the island. Freedom and the right to speak was of the utmost importance, and peace was found from either end of the island. To be trapped was their worst nightmare.

Willowstar was perched at the top of a washed-up log, her fur dirty and coal-black. She purred a welcome to Rosepetal and congratulated her on her courage and upstanding moral.

"Thank you, Willowstar. I am flattered- any cat would have done what I did if they had the chance." Rosepetal dipped her head in a slight bow, for this was how Willowstar liked to be introduced. A pang of curiosity went through Rosepetal's heart. Would any cat do what she did, to save the kit of a traitor?

"You are so humble, Rosepetal. I am happy to see that you are fitting into your medicine cat role so efficiently." Willowstar licked her back fur, leaving a trace of blue-gray. It was strange, but two thoughts ran through Rosepetal's head at that moment; One, she wasn't so sure that 'efficiently' was the best description of her newest role. She had 'efficiently' freaked out, again and again, almost poison someone, and try to feed someone cobwebs!

But that wasn't the main thought in her head. The way that Willowstar was so absolutely caked on with coal dust and blackened leaves reminded Rosepetal of someone… But she just couldn't put her paw on the cat.

"Thunderkit!" Suddenly, Riversong broke through the crowd in a weak gait. Her hind leg had been permanently damaged by Nightclaw-

Nightclaw! That was who Willowstar had reminded her of- just without the piercing blue eyes. But why was Nightclaw jumping into her mind now? Hate rolled through her like the crashing waves out on the Forever-Water. He had almost killed Riversong. If she hadn't fed him those berries in time… Well, Rosepetal reminded herself, there is no sense having the sunrise behind you.

The frail blue-gray queen limped up to her only kit and began to lick her coat clean. She avoided looking at Willowstar but kept on glancing at Rosepetal like she wasn't sure whether or not to like her anymore. She paused and tried to help out Riversong, but got swatted in the nose.

_Is that what I get for saving her kit?_ Her nose stung, but it was her heart that ached the most. Riversong used to be her best friend. They grew up together in nursery, were trained together with littermate mentors, Feathertail and Stormypelt. And suddenly Riversong hated her. It was more confusing than if a mouse sprouted wings.

She wasn't blind either. Rosepetal was the new medicine cat, but with full acceptance from Riversong! She had even specifically asked for Rosepetal to become the medicine cat. For a while, she had helped out, and then she suddenly stopped. It made her head spin.

Her tail sagging, she slinked off to the outskirts of the makeshift camp. Flickerpaw and Owlpaw were staring up at the ball of flames with horror. She made her way over to them, checking for any signs of burns or cuts. Thankfully, the only injuries were of their emotions.

"I can't believe it, Owlpaw." The tom slowly made out. His amber eyes reflected the fire like a crystal pool.

"It's crazy. I was dreaming about swimming in the Shaded Pool when the fire came." Owlpaw murmured. Rosepetal found it strange that cats would still be focused on what they were doing instead of what they should do. After a slow sweep around the camp, she discovered that only one cat needed burn treatment and another that needed some comfrey root, but otherwise everyone had their minds on what was lost. Rosepetal couldn't help but feel a jumble of emotions- Why hadn't anyone set out on a patrol or otherwise to get a safe sleeping spot? Why couldn't she heal the inside wounds of her clanmates?

It was then that Thunderkit walked up to her, head low and tail drooped. "Thank you for saving me because of my lack of courage."

It took a second for Rosepetal to understand what she was saying. "Oh, honey, why would you be the blame? You are a five moon old kit, for Star Clan's sake!"

"Willowstar says that I should have heard it when she called me," Thunderkit mumbled. Rosepetal never understood why she was named Thunderkit. It was such a strange name to give a kit like Thunderkit. Whispkit, Breezekit, Dewkit, Shadekit, Shadowkit, or… Or Nightkit. Nightkit would have made so much sense for the all-black kit that seemed to shrink up around others, like the dark night. But someone had already made that name infamous. "But I didn't hear her over the wind."

Rosepetal didn't remember anyone trying to save Thunderkit, but all the same, she just couldn't seem to be able to picture Willowstar running away instead of after Thunderkit. Maybe she had tried and failed, or gone the wrong way and gotten so dirty. The small kit looked over her shoulder and mumbled something about, 'listeners'. She looked back at Rosepetal and craned her small neck to reach Rosepetal's ear.

"Chamomile." With that, the kitten raced back to her mother. Rosepetal sat down in stunned silence. _Chamomile… Chamomile… Cham… Cam… Calm! _Rosepetal lept to her feet and raced towards the forest line, which was thankfully untouched by the fire. No one noticed her leaving except maybe Willowstar and Redblaze, but they were having a deep discussion with Riversong. Rosepetal did a double-take. Riversong's ears were laid back, her fangs bared, and eyes flashing. And as much as Rosepetal wanted to stay here, working for her clan, her memories burst through like lightning from a storm.

Memories about a certain Nightclaw. And the day that first warned her about his true intentions.

"_Wake up, Rosy!" _

"_No-o-o-o-o-o…" Rosepetal mumbled. She could scent Riversong, her strong smell of the salty beach air. Even without it, only two people in the clan dared to call her Rosy: Riversong and her mate, Nightclaw. _

"_I want you to be with me when I give the announcement." Rosepetal slowly opened her eyes. For all her bravo about working and diligently obeying her leader, she never liked waking up on time. Sure, when she was awake, she preached about watching the sunrise, but when she was this tired… Last night she had been on vigil for the old leader of Waveclan, Shellstar, who had died earlier yesterday. It had been pronounced old age, which wasn't surprising. Rosepetal and Riversong liked to joke and make fun of Shellstar all throughout their apprenticeship. He had been old and graying, more and elder than a leader. _

_The worst part was what had happened after his death. His deputy, Gullwing, had been his mate his entire life, and upon seeing his lifeless form, she fell to the ground and died no more than a moment later. They had to bury both of their leaders, which was not a thing to take lightly. So Riversong had been appointed to consult Starclan over who to choose. _

_Only a day later, and she already knew. Rosepetal let it sink in that her best friend had the future of Waveclan in her safe paws, then she got out of her nest. Nightclaw was waiting outside of the den, an air-light expression on his face._

"_Did you catch a gull?" Rosepetal inquired. It was common practice to go Gull Catching, but it was easier to hunt mice and voles than jump after screeching gulls, so the hunting on the beach wasn't taken very seriously and often was a way for young apprentices to show their skills. It had been moons since their apprenticeship but Nightclaw enjoyed relieving stress by going out Gulling, as he called it. Without a leader for the clan, Rosepetal had a good idea that the gull flock was missing multiple flyers._

"_Yes, but that isn't what it is!" Nightclaw practically chirped. He pranced in circles around the she-cats and randomly licked Riversong's fur. With every lick, she rolled her eyes, but Rosepetal had been friends with her too long to not see it. _

"_What's wrong, Riv?" She whispered when Nightclaw was farther away on his loop. She glanced at him before answering._

"_Promise you won't tell anyone yet?" _

"'_Course, Riv." They paused to let Nightclaw come back around, and Riversong practically shrunk into her fur with guilt._

"_Well, the new leader of Waveclan is-" Suddenly, a gull flock flew overhead and the following shrieks outweighed anything Riversong was trying to say. "And I don't think that Nightclaw is going to like the new leader."_

_But they had already reached the High Stone before Rosepetal could ask again. Cursing Starclan, she waited patiently as Riversong made her way up the small stones to the biggest one, High Stone. Was it just Rosepetal, or did Riversong seem much sicker than she was a couple of sunset's ago? Did she catch something? Or was the leader's name causing her to be emotionally sick? _

"_Cat's of Waveclan- I have two announcements today." _Huh? "_The first announcement will be quicker, so I will start there._

"_My clanmates, I am pleased to tell you that I will be expecting a litter of kits around Full-Leaf." Cheers rang throughout the gathered cats. A new litter of kits!_

"_Their father is my mate, Nightclaw." A few of the toms laughed and butted heads with Nightclaw, forgetting their deceased leader and deputy momentarily. _

"_On a more serious note." Riversong paused so that all cats had their eyes on her. But she didn't fidget or squirm. "I have consulted with Starclan,"_

"_Get on with it!" Stormypelt, a new warrior, yowled. Some cats nodded, but most shushed the younger cats. They knew that Riversong would not hedge out her statements. This was important. Riversong waited, then opened her mouth. Her words echoed throughout the small clearing._

"_They have informed me that Willowspirit will be the new leader of Waveclan." Rosepetal joined in on the boisterous calls and howls as the clan celebrated. Willowspirit was the best warrior there was, devoting her life to her duties. She had gone days without eating for kits and elders before, had spent moons hunting down treacherous animals and fearsome strays that dared to attack Waveclan. _

_But one lonely voice rose above them all. A pitch-black tom had risen to his haunches, blue eyes ablaze. "NO! How could you, Riversong!"_

_His ears were laid back, his fangs bared, and his eyes flashing at his new leader. _Poor Riversong, _thought Rosepetal,_ Having to defy her mates wishes in order to listen to Starclan. _Poor Nightclaw, already pitted against the greatest warrior the island had ever seen._

Rosepetal shook off the memory and avoided the arguing cats, moving to the forest. Chamomile! Why hadn't she thought of that? A herb especially for easing emotional wounds and broken hearts!

_This is why Riversong should be the medicine cat. _Rosepetal couldn't help but think. _At least she hasn't almost poisoned anybody!_

**_That last line is called irony. By the way, I was going to have another cat (guess who it is in the reviews.) die in the fire but didn't want to be that cheesy melodramatic author that I so despise when I read fan fictions- (Hint- anyone who has the main characters loved ones suddenly die all together or slowly in front of him but the main character still grows up to be a hero and not some messed up cat that can't leave his den.) Also- I wish I had some Chamomile!_**


	4. Chapter Three: Riversong

**I hit a little bit of a writer's block, and instead of posting this morning I posted later on in the afternoon. Sorry guys! Please review - I tried to write as much as the last two but it was so hard. I had all the words and ideas but nothing really came out of my brain. This was more of a filler chapter, for that reason. **

**I do not own Warriors.**

During the night so felt the terrible guilt of all that she had done. She had let Willowstar become a leader. She had killed her own mate and two of her kits.

Her kits. Strong, mewling Dappledkit. Her clinging, almost mirror-like Rainkit. But no. Her beautiful kits were gone.

Rainkit and Dappledkit were all so strong, all so loud. But Nightkit- or Thunderkit as Willowstar had named her- was quiet and the runt of her litter. And Willowstar didn't like the idea of two angry, revenge-seeking kits who would grow up into angry, revenge-seeking warriors. So she used Nightkit as a bribe- her life for the others. And so Rainkit and Dappledkit were tossed away like unwanted prey.

Nightclaw and his kits haunted her. Day and night she saw them, hiding in the shadows. She never tried to tell anyone because then she would have to explain how they died. She had murdered her family. Sometimes, she would snap. Instead of storing away the darkness she would change it into this vocal heat, this need to fight and kill and claw and crunch and-

_No._ Riversong reminded herself. She must not snap, she must keep her cool. All around her cats were in a stupor. Rosepetal was running around like a mad-cat, trying to fix everything. If Riversong was the medicine cat she would have sorted through the crowds to figure out who was injured and then organize herb patrols to find some chamomile in the forest. After that, she would begin to search through the smoldering fire and rescue the herbs.

But she wasn't medicine-cat because Willowstar said that she wasn't mentally fit for the job. She didn't- well-tried to not- hold it against Rosepetal. But when she tried to help her kit when there was a clan to attend to, it snapped her. But she held her tongue until Willowstar came around.

"We need to go and search the camp for anyone else," Riversong stressed, fighting to not claw the leader. After Nightclaw had died, his spirit was always straining to make an appearance. She could not risk her life against Willowstar. "The herbs, prey pile, or lost cats might still be savable."

"No."

"Mother, we must try."

"No."

"But-"

"Watch your tone."

Riversong hadn't realized that she was acting so Nightclaw-ish. She quickly backed away, though her pride was screaming. Nightkit was sitting farther away, a purr lodged in her throat.

"Riversong, guess what?" She asked, jumping to her feet. Riversong flopped onto the sand, tired of standing on three legs.

"What?" Sometimes Nightkit could become very adventurous, other times so quiet that she forgot Nightkit was there. Riversong tried to keep up with the resulting narrative but jumped up at the last few sentences.

"-Chamomile and she didn't understand until I was gone and then she looked like a complete Lion from one of the old tales because she moved so fast she was a blur and once she stopped but then she went fast again and I lost track of her and-"

"Wait, Chamomile?" I intercept. Nightkit nods like, _Yeah, didn't you hear me?_ And tries to keep going. I don't make her stop because memory is flooding in.

"_Chamomile, like Calm at the beginning. At least, that's how I learned it." The younger form of Riversong, now Riverpaw, recited to her friends. She was so excited to be learning new things and couldn't keep from bragging. _

"_Calm… I like the sound of that." Nightpaw yawned and his jaw stretched. "I just want to sleep right now."_

"_You just have to stop going out after the Gulls at night, Nightpaw." Rosepaw chides, leaning over to lick her fur._

"_But my name is-"_

"_Yeah, yeah. We have already heard that you're, 'The mighty Nightpaw, destined for the darkest hour,' name. Could you just stop yawning a second to tell us again?" Rosepaw shoots back. Nightpaw yawns and turns his back to her on the flat rock, quickly falling to sleep._

"_I will… later… when I… cool… comeback…" He mumbles, and Rosepaw snorts, smacking him upside the head with her versatile tail. _

"_Anyway, Chamomile is this really awesome plant that looks just like a-" Riversong tries to continue but Rosepaw interrupts._

"_As much as this conversation interests me, I don't think I will ever become medicine-cat so this doesn't really involve me. Do you want to go hunting?"_

"_Fine." Riversong rolls her eyes and leaves the snoring tom. Almost instantly they hit up another conversation on what they will catch while out hunting, and before long forget entirely about him._

"_I'm sorry, okay?" Willowspirit snarls at the poor, quivering tom, her eyes flashing. Shellstar exits his den with a yawn and surveys the crowd of apprentices and mentors._

"_I caught this apprentice sleeping when he shouldn't have been." Willowspirit began, but her leader cut her off._

"_Were you out chasing gulls last night?"_

"Yes… Sorry, Shellstar." Nightpaw pushed his paw deeper into the sandy dirt and hung his head low.

"How many did you catch?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How many did you catch?"

"Two, Shellstar."

_"__Hm… Not good enough. Work harder and smarter next time, okay? You know, I used to go out Gulling at your age…" With that, he left. Willowspirit fumed and stalked off, muttering to herself about punishments and righteousness. Riverpaw ran over to her friend and started to excitedly apologize._

_"__Don't worry, it turned out fine in the end," Nightpaw told her, and gave her a comforting lick on the head. He was a moon older than her but it didn't stop Riverpaw from pushing her fur against his and rubbing heads with him. He chuckled and returned the gesture. All was well._

**Again, writer's block. I hope this gives you a little more understanding of the whole relationship between everybody. After this, everything is going to go into a roller coaster with little memories as we finish with this part of the book. Thunderkit will take a bigger spotlight as she discovers something that should never be discovered.**


End file.
